It’s hard to debate with people.

It’s harder to debate with people that have no backing for their arguments

It’s impossible to debate with people who have no domain experience in the topic that is being discussed.

We have to be careful who we are debating with before we get caught up in something that might be unnecessary in the first place.

When faced with this situation, we must ask qualifying questions to see if they actually understand the topic at hand. One question I like to lead off with is “Other than the news, name two other sources that helped you form your opinion”?

If they struggle to name them, it might be a good idea to avoid the discussion at all.

This is a great exercise for us to internalize, as well, before we enter a conversation. Should we be a bystander and ask questions or should we interject our thoughts to help inform the conversation?

Our answers to the qualifying questions might tip us off on the route we should go.